Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24C—MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
  • A24C5/00—Making cigarettes; Making tipping materials for, or attaching filters or mouthpieces to, cigars or cigarettes
  • A24C5/35—Adaptations of conveying apparatus for transporting cigarettes from making machine to packaging machine
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/52—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices
  • B65G47/64—Switching conveyors
  • B65G47/644—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor
  • B65G47/645—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor about a horizontal axis
  • B65G47/647—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor about a horizontal axis the axis being perpendicular to the conveying direction
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
  • B65G2201/04—Bulk
  • B65G2201/047—Articles manipulated as bulk

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a cigarette transfer device.
• the present invention relates to a device for transferring cigarettes from a cigarette manufacturing machine to a packing machine.
• the device comprises a FIFO (First In, First Out) store; and conveying means for conveying the cigarettes in bulk from the cigarette manufacturing machine to the packing machine along a feed path having a first portion connecting the cigarette manufacturing machine to the store, and a second portion connecting the store to the packing machine.
• FIFO First In, First Out
• the store provides for compensating any difference between the number of cigarettes produced on the cigarette manufacturing machine and the number of cigarettes withdrawn by the packing machine. Whenever maintenance work on the store is required, however, the transfer device must be shut down completely, thus stopping production of the packets of cigarettes.
• a cigarette transfer device as claimed in Claim 1 and, preferably, in any one of the following Claims depending directly or indirectly on Claim 1.
• Figure 1 shows a plan view of a cigarette transfer device in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a side view of the Figure 1 device with parts removed for clarity;
• Figure 3 shows the Figure 2 view in an alternative operating position;
• Figure 4 shows a front view of the Figure 1 device with parts removed for clarity.
• Device 1 comprises a conveyor 5 for feeding cigarettes 2 from machine 3 to a switch station 6 along a common section 7 of feed paths PI and P2 ; and a conveyor 8 for conveying cigarettes 2 along a feed portion 9 of path PI from switch station 6 to a variable-volume FIFO store 10.
• Store 10 is located along feed path PI, and provides for compensating any difference between the number of cigarettes 2 produced by cigarette manufacturing machine 3, and the number of cigarettes 2 withdrawn by packing machine .
• Device 1 comprises a conveyor 11 located immediately downstream from store 10 and for conveying cigarettes 2 from store 10 to packing machine 4 along a portion of feed path PI .
• Device 1 also comprises a linear conveyor 12 for conveying cigarettes 2 from switch station 6 to a rotation unit 13 along a conveying portion 14 of feed path P2.
• conveyor 12 is substantially parallel to conveyor 5 and is located lower than and partly beneath conveyor 8.
• Conveyor 12 is located higher than conveyor 11 and, at rotation unit 13, extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to that of a final section 15 of conveyor 11.
• Section 15 is common to both feed paths PI and P2, and is located immediately upstream from packing machine 4.
• Rotation unit 13 (known technically as a "twisting" unit) receives cigarettes 2 at the top, unloads cigarettes 2 downwards onto section 15 of conveyor 11, and also rotates each cigarette 2 by 90° about a respective vertical axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of cigarette 2, so that cigarettes 2 from rotation unit 13 are oriented the same way as cigarettes 2 from store 10.
• Each conveyor 5, 8, 11 and 12 has two lateral walls 16 (Figure 1) located on opposite sides of a relative conduit in which cigarettes 2 travel, and which keep cigarettes 2 positioned correctly as cigarettes 2 travel along feed paths PI and P2. Moreover, each conveyor 5, 8, 11 and 12 can be activated independently of the others.
• device 1 also comprises a sorting unit 17 for directing cigarettes 2 in bulk along feed path PI or P2.
• Sorting unit 17 comprises a fluidic actuator 18 located beneath conveyor 5 and for adjusting the height of one end 19 of conveyor 5 at switch station 6.
• one end 20, opposite end 19, of conveyor 5 is hinged at cigarette manufacturing machine 3. More specifically, end 19 is movable between a top position, in which end 19 faces and is at the same height as an initial end of conveyor 8, and a bottom position, in which end 19 faces and is at the same height as an initial end of conveyor 12.
• Sorting unit 17 also comprises a retaining member 21 located between conveyors 8 and 12 - in particular, beneath conveyor 8 - and for supporting cigarettes 2 on conveyor 5 as the height of end 19 is changed.
• Retaining member 21 has a fixed profile shaped so that, when end 19 is in the bottom position, cigarettes 2 can be fed freely from conveyor 5 to conveyor 12, and has a rounded bottom edge to avoid damaging cigarettes 2 when end 19 is moved from the bottom position to the top position.
• the cigarettes 2 produced on cigarette manufacturing machine 3 are fed to switch station 6 by conveyor 5.
• cigarettes 2 are fed along feed path PI and, in particular, are transferred from conveyor 5 to conveyor 8 and fed to store 10.
• the cigarettes 2 in store 10 are fed from store 10 to packing machine 4 by conveyor 11, the operating speed of which is varied according to the number of cigarettes 2 required by packing machine .
• a stop assembly 22 which comprises a horizontal shutter and an actuator for moving the shutter horizontally, stops the outflow of cigarettes 2 from rotation unit 13.
• Conveyor 5 is stopped to stop cigarettes 2 being transferred to conveyor 8 without stopping conveyor 8, so that cigarettes 2 on conveyor 8 are distanced from switch station 6 and so prevented from falling and/or being damaged when end 19 is moved.
• Cigarettes 2 are fed once more along path PI as follows : conveyor 5 is stopped to prevent cigarettes 2
• stop assembly 22 is activated to cut off the outflow of cigarettes 2 from rotation unit
• conveyor 12 is stopped, and end 19 is moved into the top position. It should be pointed out that conveyor 12 and stop assembly 22 are controlled to keep rotation unit 13 full at all times. At this point, conveyor 5 is started again to transfer cigarettes 2 to conveyor 8, which is operated simultaneously, so that cigarettes 2 are again fed to packing machine 4 along feed path PI .
• device 1 also comprises a filling assembly, which includes a lift system and provides for filling rotation unit 13 without damaging cigarettes 2. In which case, when cigarettes 2 are conveyed along feed path PI, the rotation unit and conveyor 12 are substantially empty.
• feed paths PI and P2 are designed so that conveyor 12 extends in a direction substantially parallel to that of section 15 of conveyor 11.
• device 1 instead of rotation unit 13, device 1 comprises a linear chute for receiving cigarettes 2 at the top and unloading cigarettes 2 downwards onto section 15 without rotating cigarettes 2.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Cigar And Cigarette Tobacco (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=33156322

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-04-07 IT ITBO20030206 patent/ITBO20030206A1/it unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-04-07 WO PCT/IT2004/000185 patent/WO2004089122A2/en active Search and Examination
  • 2004-04-07 DE DE202004020828U patent/DE202004020828U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (6)

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